How to Make Outline Text in Word

Want to create an outline around certain letters in your Word document? There are two easy ways you can surround words and phrases with colored outlines in Word—using Text Effects, and using Word Art. We'll show you how to make any font in your Microsoft Word document stand out by outlining it in color.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Using an Outline Text Effect

  1. Type the word or phrase you want to outline. The lines around your text will look better on larger characters, so make your font a bit larger than the rest of your text.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 1 Version 5.jpg
    • You can make the letters any color you want before creating an outline around them. Just highlight the word or phrase, and then select a color from the "Font" panel at the top of Word.
  2. Highlight the text you want to outline. Just click and drag the mouse around the text to select it.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 2 Version 5.jpg
  3. Click the Text Effects and Typography tool. This is the "A" surrounded by a blue glowing outline in the "Font" panel at the top of Word.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 3 Version 5.jpg
    • If you don't see this icon, click the Home tab at the top of Word.
  4. Select the menu. Now you'll see all of the options you can use to create an outline around the selected letters.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 4 Version 5.jpg
  5. Select an outline color. To choose the color of the line that surrounds your text, choose one of the colors displayed on the menu, or select More Outline Colors… to select a custom color.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 5 Version 5.jpg
  6. Use the menu to select the thickness of the outline. The larger the number, the thicker the outline around the letters.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 6 Version 4.jpg
    • If you go too thick, you might make the text unreadable. You can always undo the last action in word by pressing Control + Z (PC) or Command + Z (Mac).
  7. Use the menu to stylize the outline. If you'd rather have a dotted, dashed, or otherwise stylized line around your word or phrase instead of a solid line, you can select any of the options in this menu.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 7 Version 3.jpg

[Edit]Using Word Art

  1. Click the tab at the top of Word. WordArt is a tool that can help you create all types of vibrant text designs, including color outlines. You'll find it on the Insert tab.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 8 Version 3.jpg
  2. Click the menu. It's the icon of a tiled blue "A" on the Insert tab in Word. A menu with several text styles will appear.[1]
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 9 Version 3.jpg
  3. Select an outline style. Not all WordArt styles have outlines, but several do. Don't worry about the colors you see in the sample—you'll be able to change those if you don't like them. Once you click a style, you'll see some sample text appear on the page.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 10 Version 3.jpg
  4. Replace the sample text with your own. The text you type will appear in the selected outline style.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 11.jpg
  5. Select the tab. It'll appear at the top of the screen while you're editing WordArt. This tab should already be active, but if it's not, click it now.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 12.jpg
  6. Click the small arrow at the bottom-right corner of the WordArt Styles panel. It's at the top of Word. This expands the "Format Shape" panel on the right side of Word.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 13.jpg
  7. Click the icon. It's the "A" with a line under it in the right panel.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 14.jpg
  8. Click to select a color. When you choose this option, you'll be able to choose the color of the actual text—you can choose an outline color separately.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 15.jpg
  9. Click to design your outline. On this menu option, you can select a color, width, and even pattern (such as dotted or dashed) for the lines that surround your letters.
    Make Outline Text in Word Step 16.jpg

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